Mail-bag catcher



(Nomoael.)

E. ALLEN 8u W. H. HARROD.

MAIL BAG GATGHER; No. 334,921. Patented Jan. 26 1886.

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MAILmBAGi CATCHER.

SPECIPICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,921, dated January 26, 1886.

Application liled October B, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that we, ETHAN ALLEN and WILLIAM H. HARROD, of Sellersburg, in the county of Clark and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Mail-Bag Catcher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved mailbag catcher for catching and taking mail-bags from moving trains.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts and details, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved mail-bag catcher in operation. Fig. 2 is a side View of the same folded.

The crane or post A is erected at the side of the tracks in the usual manner, and on the top of the same the lever Bis hinged to swing in the vertical plane, and to the lugs C on the post A, some distance below the top, the bar D is hinged to swing in the vertical plane, and on the swinging ends of the said lever B and the bar D the .rods B and D are pivoted to project beyond the ends of said lever and bar, and serving to hold the mail bag or pouch E in the usual manner, as shown in Fig. l.

0n the bar D the rod F is mounted parallel with said bar and to turn on the same, which rod is provided at the free end of the bar D with the arm G, at right angles to the bar D, and provided at its free end with the crook or hook H.

At or near the middle of the bar D the rod is provided with the bend J, and the inner end of the rod Fprojects beyond thehinged end of the bar D and carries the adjustable balancing weight L, which can belockedin place by means ofthe set-screw M. A standard,N is provided a short distance from the standard A, and on the upper end of the said standard N a metal piece, O, is secured, which is provided with the two end prongs, O', and a peaked or beveled part, Q, between theme Serial No. 179,341. (No model.)

On the car R the usual gripping-rod, S, is provided at the door, and at one edge of the door the vertical rod T. is mounted to turn on its longitudinal axis, and said rod is provided with the handle-piece U and with the two arms V, having hooks on the ends for holding the mail pouch or bag. rlhe inner end of the rod F is pressed by the spring-tension in said rod against the prongs O, and thus the rod is held in place.

IThe operation is as follows: At the same time a pouch is taken from the crane by the gripper on the car a pouch is taken from the car by the gripper on the crane. The train runs in the direction of the arrow a. The gripper on the car first grasps the pouch held by the lever B and the bar D. The arms V of the rod T on the car having been swung out, as shown, the arm G of the rod F passes in between the bag or pouch E and the side of the car, and when the other pouch is pulled from the lever B and the bar D and the former is swung up and the latter down the pouch E is grasped by the arm G of the rod F. The rod F swings down andthe pouch E slides down the same until it is held by the end hook, H, which prevents its sliding to the ground. Y

The bar F can be reversed to catch pouches on trains running in either direction.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-m 1. The combination, with a mail-pouch crane or holder, of a rod held on the lower swingn ing arm of the same, said rod projecting beyond the swinging end of said arm and having a bend formed in the part on the arm, and having the projecting part parallel with the tracks, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a railroad mailpouch crane or holder, of a rod held on the lower swinging bar of the crane and havinga projecting part beyond the swinging end of the bar, the projecting part of the rod being parallel with the tracks, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with the standard A, of the lever B, the bar D, the rod F on the IOL) bar D, which rod has the arm G and the bend standard N, and the plate O on the same, sub-A J, and the Weight on the inner end of the rod stantially as herein shown and described.

F,substantiallyashereinshownanddeseribed.' M ETHAN ALLEN. A

4. The combination, with lche standard A, WILLIAM H. HARROD. 5 halving the pvoted lever B and the pivoted fitnessesz bar D, 0f the rod F, having the arm G and JOSEPH S. TAYLOR,

the Bend J, the balancing-weight L, and the SIMEON J Us'rIOE. 

